Aircraft windows and doors are two of the most common electromagnetic apertures inherent to most commercial aircraft designs. During operation of commercial aircraft, the aircraft is constantly bombarded by electromagnetic radiation or energy such as radio waves (RF). Commercial aircraft encounter various forms of electromagnetic radiation resulting from various sources. For example, a portion of the electromagnetic energy the commercial aircraft encounters during operation results from the portion of the aircraft communication systems wherein RF transmissions are sent and received, for example, when the aircraft communicates with ground stations or like, and vice versa. Other sources of electromagnetic energy include external sources such as cellular telephones and personal electronic devices (PEDs), which are oftentimes carried onto the aircraft by passengers, and utilized by the passengers, whether authorized or not, while in the cabin of the aircraft.
Use of the electronic devices by the passengers during taxiing of the aircraft for example, generates electromagnetic energy in the form of RF waves is transmitted through the aircraft's passenger windows to ground stations and/or other PEDs or cellular telephones. This transmission of electromagnetic energy through the passenger windows can interfere with the commercial aircraft's systems such as the communications system, posing a potential safety risk.
Accordingly, there are various preventative measures utilized in the art to accomplish the attenuation of propagation electromagnetic radiation such as RF waves, through commercial aircraft passenger windows. One current method or technique for attenuating electromagnetic propagation through commercial aircraft widows is “window shielding”. The shielding of commercial aircraft passenger windows can be accomplished through various techniques, however each technique typically involves treating or shielding each individual window with some sort of material that reduces or hinders the propagation of electromagnetic energy. Such materials include the application of specialized acrylic layers, the application of specialized films and/or the application of metal mesh, to the individual passenger windows. The aforementioned window shielding techniques have drawbacks however.
These drawbacks include, for example, when the electromagnetic energy contacts the shielded passenger windows of the commercial aircraft, the passenger windows absorb the electromagnetic energy, attenuating the transmission through the windows as intended. However, as the electromagnetic energy increases, for example to the approximate 1-2 gigahertz range, the shielded windows begin to lose their attenuation characteristics. And due to this loss of attenuation, the commercial aircraft passenger windows begin to resonate and retransmit the electromagnetic energy.
Accordingly, in order to alleviate or minimize the resonation and retransmission problems inherent in the above-described window shielding techniques, the windows the are additionally fitted with a gasket or otherwise hard coupled to the commercial aircraft frame. The gasket or couplings function to bond or ground the individual windows to the commercial aircraft frame. This connection assists to facilitate and provide a capacitive coupling between each individual passenger window and the aircraft frame. This capacitive coupling allows for the electromagnetic energy that may result from the resonation of windows for example, to be transferred to the aircraft frame where it is transferred or dissipated across the entire aircraft frame structure.
The gaskets or couplings, while they minimize the retransmission of electromagnetic energy, shielded passenger windows, also have drawbacks. First, the current gaskets or coupling are very expensive and therefore are oftentimes limited to military platforms. Second, the gaskets or couplings are subject to wide temperature variations, which cause the gaskets or couplings to corrode. This corrosion of the gaskets causes the windows to lose their capacitive characteristics. And finally, some of the proposed gaskets or couplings have a less than aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a cost effective method and apparatus for attenuating electromagnetic propagation through aircraft passenger windows or the like. More particularly, it is desirable to provide inexpensive, corrosive resistant gasket that facilitates a capacitive coupling between the individual aircraft passenger windows and the aircraft frame.